Finally…my first blog post🎉🥂🍾

Friends have often encouraged me to begin a blog…and I have often entertained the idea too. I generally mentally write my ‘blogs’ while busy in my sewing studio…I never remember to put them , pen to paper, as it were. So finally, yesterday while up in the sewing room , readying one of my sister-in-law Leslie’s quilt tops for the longarm, I mentally began writing my thoughts that this triggered. And I was inspired, stopped to sit at my new Bernina 770 and type it into my phone! Fabulous moment. Here it is! I am sew excited!🤩

Have you ever wondered exactly what to do with that pile of quilt tops, that you pieced early on during your cquilting journey? It most definitely has been a glorious, sometimes tearful journey. They have now become UFO’s in your sewing room…sometimes hidden or stashed…sometimes creating a nice soft form sculpture in your sewing room or closet, maybe in a box, stashed away. Use them as a New Year’s journey, providing you with insight to see how your journey as a quilter unfolds, before your eyes. ( the good, fabulous, bad , quirky and even ugly). Finish that purloined quilt top using the tools of today’s quilter- tools that make our lives sew much easier. Use as many tools as you can to create a beautiful quilt; perhaps a gift or a donation. Someone will be thrilled to receive this soon to be finished quilt, which will bring comfort and a smile, to warm your heart. And the next best thing…it will bring you closer to a cleaner sewing place! ( many of you know I stash an amazing amount of things under my longarm-a treasure trove indeed!)

Have you grown in the taste, quality and types of fabric you now sew with? Gently examine this earlier quilt…it is always a surprise and often brings back the memory of special times : a trip to a Quilt Show or fabric shop with a friend. I remember taking a detour with Friendster drive to a quilting garage sale, while at the Quilt Odyssey Hershey Show, we had a blast!

Back to the quilt in hand…have your skills improved? I know I take as many classes as I can, for 2 reasons. First a class gives me the opportunity to sew something for myself (not for the shop) and secondly, I always learn at least one thing new that changes my quilting skill set and impacts everything I sew going forward ! Tools that will help with your problem child/quilt: use BestPres, Sta-stitching around the edges, fusible tape or appliqué if needed. It all depends on the condition of the quilt top. Have fun bringing it up to snuff and marvel on how you have changed and grown as a quilter. If you bring your quilts to a longarmer ( another great tool for us), fix it up and enjoy the amazing beautiful quilt that emerges after quilting!

Quilting is a creative journey that enriches us all…a great gift to us, the ability to create and embellish, while adding beauty to our homes. How amazing is it when we can gift someone who is ill or has lost a loved one, with a quilt from the heart. Lucky us! Now, I need to get back to stitching these open seams and throw this baby on the longarm!

Great posting. Enjoyed and know exactly what u were saying especially about our taste in frabic. I started out as a traditional quilter and now love all the Bright and weird prints. Congrats on your new blog

Great first blog! Your personality shines through your writing. And your perpectives on our early quilts are so valuable. To follow our piecing history, to see how we have changed in our tastes and techniques, and to gift them is fulfilling. Keep up the grand writing!

Roberta (Sally)
Wonderful first blog post. I have lots of those UFO tops that need to be quilted. Thanks for the reminder. I had planmed on hand quilting one of them, but due to my eye and facial spasms, hand quilting or embroidery is out of the question now. So, while I’m organizing my sewing room, I’ll now look for these UFOs that need to be quilted. Looking forward to more blogs from you.

I’ll sew them on my embroidery sewing machine. I can program in the stitches. There is only one using vintage fabrics from the Red Cross collection that I had wanted to hand stitch, but my machine can imitate hand stitching.

Roberta
Go you! How exciting! You were so helpful to me when I was in NY! I happy to see you attaining this goal.
I moved to Israel last month, and even found an apartment that fits my long-arm! I’m looking forward to setting up and quilting “in Hebrew.”

Dear “Sally”, It would be great if I had an alter ego such as you. I envy Roberta, as she can accomplish twice as much with your assistance. You do put out an interesting blog for her. Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading more.